Lifeboat



A.. W. LYDA LIFEBOAT March 7, 1939.

Filed July so, 1937 Patented Mar. 7, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LIFEBOAT W. Va., and one-half Canton, Ohio to Orpha E. Lyda, North Application July 30, 1937, Serial No. 156,531

2 Claims.

The invention relates to hand operated mechanism for driving the propeller shaft of a small boat and is especially adapted for use in connection with lifeboats.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple and effective hand operated mechanism by means of which the passengers or crew may drive the propeller shaft of a small boat.

A further object is the provision of mechanism of this kind which may be easily operated to produce a maximum of power with a minimum of effort.

Another object is to provide a mechanism of the character referred to in which means is provided for preventing the mechanism from getting on dead center.

The above objects together with others which will be apparent from the drawing and following description, or which may be later referred to, may be attained by constructing the improved mechanism in the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through a life boat equipped with the mechanism to which the invention pertains, taken as on the line ll, Fig. 2;

Fig. 2, a top plan view of the lifeboat shown in Fig. 1 with the top or superstructure removed; and

Fig. 3, an enlarged transverse sectional view through the lifeboat, taken as on the line 3-3, Fig. 2.

Similar numerals refer to throughout the drawing.

The hull of the lifeboat, indicated generally at I 0, may be of any desirable design and construction, provided with the usual keel H extending longitudinally of its underside as in usual practice, and having a rudder l2 at the stern for steering the boat, particularly when it is driven by the improved mechanism to which the invention pertains.

A subfloor I3 is preferably provided, spaced above the bottom 14 of the boat and beneath this subfloor may be located the drive shaft l5 journaled throughout its length through suitable bearings 56 and. connected at its rear end, as through a universal joint H, to the shaft I8 of the propeller l9 which may be any usual and well known type of propeller such as commonly used upon power driven boats.

Pinions 20 are mounted at spaced intervals upon the drive shaft 15 and each of these pinions meshes with a corresponding gear 2| fixed upon a short countershaft 22 journaled through the similar parts corresponding bearing l6 and having a disk 23 fixed thereon.

Power is applied to the drive shaft through a plurality of hand operated levers 24, preferably of angular shape, as best shown in Fig. 3, extending through the subfloor l3 and fulcrumed as at 25 in the brackets 26 mounted upon the subfloor l3.

These operating levers extend up above the subfloor to a suificient height to be grasped by a passenger or member of the crew standing upon the subfloor in the aisle between the rows of seats indicated generally at 21 and are preferably provided at their upper ends. with oppositely disposed hand grips 28 which may be of sufiicient length to permit one person to grasp each hand grip with both hands, whereby if necessary or desirable, two persons may operate each lever.

The lower end of each of the operating levers 24 is pivotally connected to one end of a link 29, the other end of which is connected to a wrist pin 30 upon the corresponding disk 23. In order to prevent the device from getting on a dead center at any point in its movement, the wrist pins 30 are located at spaced points around the several disks 23, being preferably located at three equidistantly spaced points.

In order to entirely enclose the lifeboat so as to make the same seaworthy, a top or covering indicated generally at 3| may be provided over the entire boat and may be provided with a plurality of vertically slidable window sections 32 which may be independently operated or arranged to be all opened and closed simultaneously as disclosed in my copending application for Nonsinkable lifeboats, Serial No. 4065, filed January 30, 1935.

In the operation of the boat, in order to propel the same by means of the hand operated mechanism illustrated and above described. the passengers may stand in the aisleway between the seats, alternately facing opposite sides of the boat and grasping the hand grips 28 in both hands, rocking the levers 24 back and forth transversely of the boat in order to rotate the drive shaft through the gearing illustrated and described, thus continuously rotating the propeller shaft at the desired or necessary speed to propel the boat through the water.

I claim:

1. Hand operated boat propelling mechanism including in combination with a boat, a propeller, a drive shaft operatively connected to the propeller and located longitudinally within the lower portion of the boat, a plurality of spaced pinions fixed upon the drive shaft, gears meshing with opposite sides of alternate pinions, an eccentric wrist pin connected to each gear, upright operating levers located on opposite sides of the shaft to the gears and fulcrumed intermediate their ends, and a link connecting the lower end of each lever to the Wrist pin of the corresponding gear.

2. Hand operated boat propelling mechanism including in combination with a boat, a propeller, a drive shaft operatively connected to the propeller and located longitudinally within the lower portion of the boat, a plurality of spaced pinions fixed upon the drive shaft, gears meshing with opposite sides of alternate pinions, an eccentric wrist pin connected to each gear, upright operating levers located on opposite sides of the shaft to the gears and fulcrumed intermediate their ends, and a link connecting the lower end of each ARTHUR W. LYDA. 

